Academic CV

Profile & vision:

Russell’s lifelong vision lies in the optimisation of cognitive and physical factors for human motor performance across the lifespan. He moves towards this vision and uses magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) to unveil neurocognitive mechanisms underlying human action and motor sequence learning. His research is interdisciplinary and overlap areas like the psychology of consciousness, motor behaviour and neuroscience. He used cognitive training methods such as meditation to further investigate optimal cognitive states that enhance motor behaviour. In addition, he is motivated towards creating an independent line of research by utilising different cognitive training types to prime states of cognitive control, for the optimisation of motor performance. His work results in improvements to physical, cognitive and mental outcomes across the general public, elite athletes and across the lifespan.

Brief academic history:

In 2009, Russell completed his honours research involving older patients with chronic stroke symptoms using yoga and meditation as adjunct therapy to improve their mental health and motor performance. He gained managerial experience from 2010-14 as a senior health and exercise scientist in South Australia, and has a keen understanding of problems in both private and public health sectors. From 2014-18, he completed his PhD within candidature and published on the neurocognitive mechanisms from cognitive training for motor sequence learning. From October 2018 to current, the candidate works as a research fellow in the Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia (NRU-HSE). Here are some other highlights:

Highlights:

  • Russell is a winner of the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (€187,573; <12% win rate; 2020-22), topic “Individualised COgnitive and Motor learning for the Elderly”.
  • Winner and co-investigator of the Russian Science Foundation Grant (€252,000; <15% win rate; 2019-2021), investigating the “Neural dynamics and neuroanatomical substrates of meta-memory and pragmatics of colloquial speech” (№ 19-18-00534). He plans, monitors and deliver work packages within allotted timelines and budgets, and provide expertise on MEG/EEG.
  • Winner of the Australian Postgraduate Awards Scholarship (AU$90,000; 1 of 17 in Faculty) – full stipend. During his Masters/Honours, he won the University of South Australia, School of Health Sciences Scholarship Scheme (AU$5,000; 1 of 5 in faculty) and the National Stroke Foundation Australia Honours Grant (AU$3,000; 1 of 9 in Australia) in the same year for his innovative project.
  • Strong international collaboration with NRU-HSE, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (Nijmegen, The Netherlands), Centre for Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience in University of South Australia (Adelaide, Australia) and Cognition & Philosophy Lab in Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) in collaborative projects and preparation of manuscripts.
  • Successfully supervision of 2 master’s level students from the University of South Australia in the topic of enhancing sport performance with meditation states in Australian footballers; and from NRU-HSE in the topic of Cortical mapping of proximal muscles in children with amyoplasia using MEG.
  • A good mix of industry management working as a senior health scientist in a South Australian private company (2010-14) and academic experience (2008-10 and 2014-18) and a keen understanding real-life motor learning challenges in the field (health-related behaviours) and in research.
  • 6 years of lecturing (in-person and online), development of unique content and research skills in motor neuroscience; and nine years of professional development and application of contemplative practices.
  • Invited speaker due to expertise of meditation with movement-based investigations following publications. In 2014, he spoke on neurological disability and emotional improvements with meditation at Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU); In 2018, on meditation and enhancement of cognitive control at Leiden University; and in 2019, on the history of meditation for psychophysiological research at the Psychology Winter School, SPBU. These experiences increased his educational activities in connection with research.

Education:

16/08/2018 – Ph.D (Motor and cognitive neuroscience), University of South Australia, Australia
22/12/2009 – B.Hlth.Sci (Hons), First Class, University of South Australia, Australia
19/12/2008 – B.App.Sci (Human Movement & Health Studies), University of South Australia, Australia
Periods of academic absence:
2010 – 2014 – Corporate Health Group, Senior Health and Exercise Physiologist (Full-time)

Key academic work experiences:

01/09/2018 – Present – National Research University Higher School of Economics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia, Research Fellow. Achievements: Design, conduct and analysis of psychological experiments using MEG and EEG imaging techniques. Creation and management of laboratory and research protocols, preparation of manuscripts and supervision of postgraduate research students. Pursue of independent research topics in meditation, sequence learning and movement disorders.

01/03/2009 – 01/06/2018 (periods of interruption 2010-14) – University of South Australia, School of Health Sciences, Adelaide, Australia, Lecturer and Tutor for courses in Motor Neuroscience, Skill Acquisition and Neurophysiological basis of motor skill learning and performance. Achievements: Preparation of original and innovative learning resources including presentation of lectures to support face-to-face and online delivery of undergraduate courses. Development of student readings, writing and filming video lectures, creating online practical activities and assessments. Teaching neuroscience research knowledge to concise and understandable content for undergraduates with positive student reviews.

01/01/2010 – 01/01/2011 – University of South Australia, School of Health Sciences, Adelaide, Australia, Research Assistant.  Project titles: Yoga for stroke (2010), Academic outcomes and student preferences in the usage of e-learning approaches to tertiary education (2010), Meditation and skill learning (2011), Muscle activity patterns and trunk kinematics of healthy adults’ project (2011). Achievements: Proficient skills in operating the electromyography systems and motion tracking hardware (Vicon) including software packages. Creation of data collection protocols for biomechanics experiments.  

Research Supervision:

01/10/2018 – 30/06/2019 – National Research University Higher School of Economics

  1. Completed supervision of bachelor’s student performing a motor sequence learning project coursework. The student achieved 9/10 for her project coursework.
  2. Completed supervision of Master’s student on topic of ‘Cortical mapping of proximal muscles in children with amyoplasia using MEG’.

01/02/2014 – 01/12/2018 – University of South Australia
Completed supervision of an Aboriginal student in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. He has achieved a high-grade point average and won the prestigious UniSA Goodes O’Loughlin GO Scholarship scholarships (1 across University) under the candidate’s direct supervision.The student achieved a 2A in his Honours research program.

Research: Peer-reviewed manuscripts

Chan, R.W., Alday, P.A., Zou-Williams, L., Lushington, K., Schlesewsky, M., Bornkessel-Schlesewsky, I., & Immink, M.A. (2020: In print). Focused-attention meditation increases cognitive control during motor sequence performance: Evidence from the N2 cortical evoked potential. Under review in Behavioural Brain Research.

Chan, R.W., Lushington, K. &  Immink, M.A. (2018). States of focused attention and sequential action: A comparison of single session meditation and computerised attention task influences on top-down control during sequence learning. Acta Psychologica, 191, 87-100. PMID: 30240891. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2018.09.003. Citations: 2.

Shcherbakova, O.V., Obraztsova V., Grabovaya E., Chan, R.W., Ivanova, A. (2018). Humor comprehension in healthy people and patients with mental disorders: cognitive and emotional components. Voprosi psikhologii, № 4, 92. Citations: 1.

Chan, R.W., Immink, M.A. & Lushington, K. (2017). The influence of focused-attention meditation states on the cognitive control of sequence learning. Consciousness and Cognition, 55, 11-25.  PMID: 28750361. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2017.07.004. Citations: 7.

Chan, W., Immink, M.A. & Hillier, S. (2012). Yoga and exercise for symptoms of depression and anxiety in people with post-stroke disability: A pilot randomised controlled trial. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 18(3), 34-43.  PMID: 22875560.  Citations: 54.

Shcherbakova, O.V., Gorbunov I.V., Golovanova I.V., Chan, R.W., Kholodnaya, M.A. (Under Review). New Evidence for The Neural Efficiency Hypothesis: Generative structures and their role in mental resources saving. Submitted to Frontiers in Cognitive Neuroscience.

Research: Indexed abstracts and conferences

Chan, R.W., Merzon, L., Agranovich, O., Nazrova, M., Shestakova, A. (2019). Clinical investigation of MEG evoked field potentials and topographical mappings in arthrogryposis. 25th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, 9-13 June 2019, Rome, Italy.

Chan, R.W., Merzon, L., Agranovich, O., Nazrova, M., Blagoveshchensky, E., Nikulin, V.V., Shestakova, A. (2019). Clinical investigation of MEG evoked responses in patients with amioplasia. 17th European Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology, 5-8 June 2019, Warsaw, Poland.

Scherbakova, OV, Obraztsova, VS, Grabovaya, EV, Chan, R., Ivanova, EM (2018). Cognitive and emotional components of understanding verbal jokes in healthy subjects and patients suffering from mental illness // Eighth International Conference on Cognitive Science: Abstracts of reports. Svetlogorsk, October 18 – 21, 2018 / Ed. ed. A.K. Krylov, V.D. Solovyov. – M .: Publishing House “Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, p. 1107 – 1009.

Filippova, M., Gorbunov I., Chan, R.W., & Shcherbakova, O. (2018). Unconscious detection of verbal and non-verbal ambiguous stimuli. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 131(2), The 19th World Congress of Psychophysiology, Lucca, Italy.

Ivanova, A., Obraztsova V., Grabovaya E., Chan, R.W., Shcherbakova, O.V. (2018). Cognitive and emotional components of humor comprehension in healthy people and psychiatric patients. International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS) Conference 2018, Tallinn, Estonia

Chan, R.W., Zou, L., Alday, P.A., Lushington, K., Schlesewsky, M., Bornkessel-Schlesewsky, I., & Immink, M.A. & (2017). Enhancing sequential action through single session meditation and training: Behavioural and neural correlates of meditation-facilitated motor sequence learning. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Conference Abstract: ASP2017 – The 27th Annual Meeting of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Sydney, Australia

Chan, R.W., Alday, P.A., Zou, L., Lushington, K., Schlesewsky, M., Bornkessel-Schlesewsky, I., & Immink, M.A. & (2017). A single-session of focused attention meditation increases the N200 ERP component during subsequent sequential action, after a brief period of meditation training. 7th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society (ACNS) Conference, Adelaide, South Australia

Chan, R.W., Immink, M.A. & Lushington, K. (2017). Hedonic states in sequence learning: A comparison of pre-learning pleasure states induced by focused-attention meditation and sustained attentional task. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, Vol. 39, S121, American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity 2017 Conference, San Diego, USA

Immink, M.A., Chan, R.W., Greaves, D. & Shcherbakova, O. (2017). Fixation in sequence learning occurs with previous practice involving random and complex but not simple sequence structures. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, Vol. 39, S144, American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity 2017 Conference, San Diego, USA

Chan, R.W., Immink, M.A., Lushington, K. & Mosewich, A. (2016). Stimulus or response based sequence learning is determined by temporal placement of a preceding focused attention meditation. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, Vol. 38, S52, American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity 2016 Conference, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Google Scholar Citations: 1.

Immink M.A., Chan, R.W., Rosenthal, J., Davison, K. (2014). Cardiovascular responses to cognitive task demands: A systematic review. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 94(2), 221, 17th World Congress of Psychophysiology, Hiroshima, Japan.

Chan, R.W. & Immink, M.A. (2013). Yoga for the management of neurological impairments: a review and key recommendations. Annual International Conference on Cognitive & Behavioral Psychology, P123, EBSCOHOST Connection, Fort Canning, Singapore.

Immink, M.A., Chan, W. & Hillier, S. L. (2012). A pilot randomized controlled trial of yoga therapy supplemented exercise interventions for motor function and quality of life outcomes in patients with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, Vol. 34, S91, North American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity 2012 Conference, Hawaii, USA.

Chan, W., Immink, M.A & Hillier, S.L. (2010). A pilot randomised controlled trial on yoga and meditation as a complementary modality to fitness exercise programs for the mental health of stroke survivors. 4th Exercise and Sports Science Australia Conference Proceedings, Exercise and Sports Science Australia, pp. 65, Gold Coast, Australia.

Research: Invited oral presentations

“Meditation, historical roots and psychophysiological research”, Invited speaker, Department of Psychology Winter School 2019, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 3rd to 7th February.

“Stillness to Action: Meditation Induced Enhancements for Cognitive Control Processes Underlying Sequence Learning”, Invited speaker, Action Control Research Group, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands, 15th June 2018.

“Neurological disability: emotional, motivational and movement changes with yoga and meditation”, Invited speaker, presented at Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 19th June 2014. http://spbu.ru/news-spsu/21156-jogaterapiya-posle-insulta  

“Yoga and meditation as a complementary therapy to post-stroke exercise rehabilitation”, presented at the Exercise and Sport Science Australia Research Seminar, Adelaide, Australia, March 2010.

“Yoga Research: Establishing Empirical Evidence” presented at the Yoga for Health and Healing Symposium at University of South Australia, Australia, May 2009. 

External funding:

04/03/2020 – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (€187,573; 2020-22; <12% win rate), Topic: “Individualised COgnitive and Motor learning for the Elderly”

01/04/2019 – Russian Science Foundation Grant (РНФ), Co-investigator (€252,000; 2019-21; <15% winrate) – №: 19-18-00534, “Neural dynamics and neuroanatomical substrates of meta-memory and pragmatics of colloquial speech”

Awards, Prizes & Scholarships:

06/06/2018 – University of Twente Marie Curie Fellowship Masterclass Travel Award (€2,000; 1 in 8 across Faculty)

01/12/2017 – Australasian Society for Psychophysiology Travel Award (AU$250; 1 in 10)

01/08/2014 – 01/08/2018 – Australian Postgraduate Awards Scholarship (Tax-free AU$30,000/year; 1 in 17 across Faculty)

10/03/2009 – University of South Australia, Division of Health Sciences Honours Scholarship Scheme (AU$5,000; 1 in 5 across Faculty)

01/04/2009 – National Stroke Foundation Australia Honours Grant (AU$3,000; 1 in 8 across Australia)

Online presence:

Google Scholar:  https://scholar.google.ru/citations?user=BuYa2ioAAAAJ&hl=en

Researchgate:  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Russell_Chan

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellchan

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3512-2337

Research skillset:

Experiment design and hardware expertise:

  • Magnetoencephalography (MEG) – Elekta Neuromag 306-channel (204 planar gradiometers and 102 magnetometers)
  • Electroencephalography (EEG) – Brain Products actiCHamp 128-channel and LiveAmp 32-channel mobile unit), BrainVision Recorder & PyCorder
  • Electromyography (EMG) – Delsys Trigno Wireless system, EMGworks
  • Motion Tracking – Vicon camera systems, Vicon Nexus, Vicon Motus, Visual3D
  • Psychological tools – E-Prime® Psychological Tools suite, Python, Open Sesame

EEG data processing, data visualization and statistical analysis:

  • MNE-Python (EEG & MEG processing and analysis)
  • Brainstrom3 (EEG & MEG processing and analysis)
  • Elekta Neuomag software suite (Graph, Maxfilter, MaxMove), Freesurfer
  • Brain Products BrainVision Analyzer 2 (EEG processing and analysis),
  • EEGLAB, R (Statistical Modelling), SPSS

Programming languages:

  • R, Python, MATLAB (elementary), Visual Basic

Professional affiliations:

2017 – present – Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society (ACNS)

2015 – present – International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP)

2015 – present – Australasian Society for Psychophysiology (ASP)

2012 – present – North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA)

2009 – present – Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) (Full Exercise Scientist)

Peer reviewer duties:

Journals: Behavioural Brain Research; Frontiers in Psychology (Movement Science and Sport Psychology)

Organisation of symposium & conferences:

2019 – Architecture  and Mechanisms of Language Processing (AMLaP), Moscow, Russia – General admin

Languages & dialects:

  • English (Native language)
  • Mandarin (Second language)
  • Cantonese (Intermediate)
  • Russian (Elementary)

Community engagement:

18/08/2017 – 01/08/2018 – Mindfulness and yoga facilitator for the health and wellness program in UniSA School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences organised by Dr. Jackie O’Flaherty. Supported staff cohesion, health and wellness with yoga and meditation training.

01/09/2015 – 31/08/2018 – Mindfulness and yoga advisor for the Youth Development Squad (12 – 17 yrs) in Tennis SA (South Australian State training facility). Taught youths in the National Development Program mindfulness skills for the development of mental resilience in tennis. Guide player management policy changes.

30/08/2013 – 30/08/2015 – Appointed Lululemon Athletica (MNC Athletic Clothing Company) Adelaide Store Ambassador. This is a prestigious appointment as it recognises the ambassador as a leader in the Australian health and wellbeing community for significant contributions and excellence in teaching yoga, meditation and mindfulness.